The Salvation Army Angel Tree program is celebrating its 24th anniversary helping families in Kosciusko County with gifts for children 12 and under.

The first Angel Tree was placed at K-Mart in Warsaw in 1988 according to Salvation Army Community Ministries Director Ken Locke.

Underprivileged children’s Christmas wishes are written on tags that are then placed on the Angel Tree. Those tags are then chosen by kind-hearted souls who volunteer to purchase the item on the tag along with a hat and gloves for the child. Locke says nearly 750 children will be helped this year through the Angel Tree that has been placed at K-Mart.

This year, the Book Angel program is also being utilized by The Salvation Army. Four Book Angel trees have been placed in Reinholt’s Town Square Furniture, Mad Anthony’s, KeyBank and Courthouse Coffee. The Book Angel program encourages shoppers to buy a book for a child.

Items purchased for either the Angel Tree or Book Angel programs should be delivered to The Salvation Army for distribution.

Businesses and organizations that sponsor trees for their employees and members are DePuy, Biomet, Medtronic, Warsaw Kiwanis Club, Warsaw First United Methodist Church, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Winona Lake Free Methodist, Kosciusko, REMC, DJ Construction, Dental Solutions, Milford Successful 4H, American Legion Post 49 Auxiliary, and Redeemer Lutheran Church.

For more information go to www.sawarsaw.org or call 574-267-5361.